Themes

Themes for Retreats & Conferences

Weekend in the Psalms (3 or 4 sessions)
We love the Psalms—it’s like no other book! The psalmist says things we want to say, and asks questions we want to ask, “Lord, why do you stand so far away?” Although we have our favorites, most of the psalms confuse us. We read them with a 21st century lens and we miss the beauty and the meaning. My goal for this weekend is to teach you about the Psalms so that you’ll get more out of reading them, to give you insight into Hebrew poetry that will open up the meaning, and to present four different psalms from four categories so you can see the richness and variety of the book. You will never read the Psalms the same way again.

Finding Hope in a World of Hurt(3 or 4 sessions)
Suffering, the universal common denominator, gives no exemption for believers. The hope that most people look for is the removal of pain and hurt but that is not the hope we find in Scripture. Before we can find true biblical hope we must begin by addressing the false assumptions that distort our hope. From there we will look at the Scripture and see how God planned to give his people hope in the midst of hurt.

An Invitation to Rest(3 or 4 sessions)
In Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus called out the weary and the burdened and promised them rest for their souls. Then he spelled out the conditions: come to me, take my yoke, learn from me. To a 21st century audience nothing in that list sounds like rest. To be honest, we’d rather have a vacation in Myrtle Beach. And so we plod along, with restless hearts and worn out souls … while Jesus waits, invitation in hand.

Themes for One-Session Events

Dust on my Heart– Janet’s Story
At age 35, Janet considered herself a sincere and dedicated Christian… but dust was accumulating on her heart. She shares her inspirational journey of going deep into God’s Word and the transformation that has come from memorizing over 17 books of the Bible. Janet advocates memorizing sequential verses in their context to achieve a more accurate and complete picture of who God is. The ultimate goal of her simple method is not to memorize the Bible, but to walk closely with God.

Extravagant Love– Mark 14:3-9
Onlookers were appalled when a woman poured expensive perfume on Jesus. Even more shocking was Jesus response. He said that her beautiful deed would be told throughout the world wherever the gospel was preached. What was it about this woman’s lavish deed that made Jesus want everyone to know about it?

Under His Wings: The Story of Ruth
An ancient story of hope despite bitterness, redemption after loss, and finding security under the wings of a redeemer. Ruth, a foreigner with no claim to God’s mercy, secures her place in history through her bold choices, and we see why this story matters today.

Esther
You have never before heard all ten chapters of Esther recited from memory in storybook fashion. More than a royal beauty pageant, this story of risk and reward, humor and heroism, answers questions we didn’t ask, and shows us truth we might have missed.

The Treasure & The Sword– a Christmas message, Luke 1-2
The events surrounding the birth of Jesus caused Mary to “treasure up all these things and ponder them in her heart.” Mixed in was a prophecy that “a sword will pierce your own soul too.” Like Mary, our lives are a mixture of treasured events and a piercing sword that deflates our future dreams. We find hope in Mary’s story because we are told in God’s Word what she was never told. And… we see that her sword became our treasure.